Welcome to my poetry blog. I love reading Plath and Sexton and Dickenson and Maya. But to me, the best poets I have read are the unknows. The giants are great for sure, but the friends and locals and groups are a joy to participate in. I encourage everyone who writes poetry to be themselves. It is ok to have influences, but you should always in the end be yourself. There is only one them, and only one you.

Let words be your canvas, show them the raw you, in all your happiness and sadness. Show them your love of nature, and empathy and kindness, but also make them think, provoke, even blaspheme. The poet’s job to me, is to never be shy or timid, but use every word in your vocabulary to paint the best pictures you can. Paint your sunrises, your sunsets, your romance, your fears. Paint your insecurities, your addictions, your successes, your tears.

This blog is dedicated to my late mother Jane. She was my biggest supporter and never let me fall through the cracks. While she was a bit of an authoritarian growing up, that all melted away in her late years, and we grew as close as any parent child could. We had so much fun with our silly car games and rubber duckies, and counting the trees. And our wordplay games, and our thumb wrestling. And forget Yahtzee and backgammon, she always kicked my…… at that. I love you mom. I miss you horribly.

And also my late best friend ever, Bob. He unfortunately passed away in 2017. He lived in Australia, he was a science geek, and he taught me a lot about debate, and some science. I can only grasp overall concepts, not real nitty gritty details. But he most importantly made me feel comfortable in my own skin. I miss you too Bob.

Then there is this annoying guy from Okleeee homa, who says “tators”, and “videeeaaaa” instead of “video”. And don’t get John started on banjos. He is my best friend and he is always there for me, and I love that redneck.

And also Dwayne, Stacey and Vicki. You saved my life all of you. Thank you.

All poetry posted by me on this website is attached to RationalPoet@brianrrs37, handle “RationalPoet” on Twitter ,as well as “Brian James Rational Poet” on Facebook/ META. And is subject to copywrite on all my pages.

A Special thanks to Brian Sapient of Rational Responders http://www.rationalresponders.com for hosting my poetry thread for so long. Thank you.

AND….. YOU are more than welcome to share this link on your social media. Especially Meta and Twitter, but your own social media too. Any help bringing traffic here is more than welcome. THANK YOU. You may not publish individual poems without my express permission. Any links to my poetry must be credited to me.

This poetry blog may contain some material that may be considered sensitive to some viewers. Reader discretion advised.

Now, everyone, grab your popcorn, glass of wine, and watch me make a fool of myself. Enjoy.

HEADS UP….. THERE ARE PEOPLE MIMICKING MY TWITTER ACCOUNTS……

I only have two Twitter/X accounts. Twitter has now changed it’s name to “X”. So all poetry in this site referencing Twitter is also including the new name “X”.

“RationalPoet@brianrrs37”
AND
“Brian@rationalpoet37”

I have also joined Facebook/META poetry group “Facebook Poetry Society” Under “Brian James Rational Poet”

Also I just joined http://www.allpoetry.com under the user name “RationalPoet37”

THERE ARE MORE PAGES. WHEN YOU GET TO THE BOTTOM OF EACH PAGE, in mice print….. It says “Next Page”. <—-CLICK ON THAT.

NEW EDIT………


A special thanks to Zaylen of “Okay Atheists” on the Discord app, for allowing me to guest host this poetry reading available on their YouTube channel originally aired 5/22/23. Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_ikCkc7lWE

If you want to leave a comment to any poem, click on the BOLD title of the poem first, scroll to the bottom of the poem, and you should see a field to leave the comment in.

UPDATE EDIT AS OF 11/13/2024. I have a new account at Bluesky Soical under the handle @rationalpoet37.bsky.social .

 

 

Therapy, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

#ugly poems
Are never that
They are the raw
The spoken

Wounds of life
Crimson ink
In black heart
And beating red

With despair, defeat
Survival, wisdom
The kindred therapy
Of universal empathy

Compassion, art
Never quiet
Never need be
Always will be

My therapy.
(end)

Poetry is the therapy of my life at least. When I read other’s poetry that touches on a pain I have felt myself, it lets me know I am not alone. I have to thank all the wonderful poets who put their emotions and their lives out there raw, for everyone to see. They all have to know they have touched someone, multiple people, and those people find some sort of oasis and comfort in an ugly world.

Mice Print, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

Disclaimer: this poem
Is intended for mature audiences
Viewer discretion advised

What, were you surprised?
Not available in Florida
Especially not Mar A Lago

See store for details
For external use only
I’m being serious, not silly

Mel Brooks study
Are the Spaceballs credits
That funny?

Void where prohibited
Keep out of reach of Hannity
If you want to keep your sanity.

Screw that extended warrantee
What did you expect of me
You had a purple plaid squirrel

In your yard, cant you read?
Your forever stamp was upside down
You think this disclaimer

Makes me look like a clown?
I don’t like to frown
UPS doesn’t deliver to your town

This isn’t making sense?
You’re spewing coffee I can sense
Read this at your own risk

Don’t you hate mice print?
(end)

Catsup On The Walls, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

Somewhere in the Sunshine State
There is one lonely pissed of dude
And the Lake is the real swamp

He didn’t want to lose
But he’s got his bucket of chicken
And his taco salad

Botched is what Karen
Called the election
Arizonan’s know BS

When they see it
She doesn’t want to believe it
Oh, I meant “Kari” lost it

Cardinal sin, if you don’t win
The Suns are on the side of Hobbs
The orange diamondback

In Mar A Lago sobs
His minions lost their jobs
The Senate he did cost them

Katsup, catsup, mess up
I’d really hate to be
The janitor working for he
(end)

You’ve Told Me Once, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

Thank you for your concern
Yea, I know, fiery pit, brimstone
You don’t want me
To take the elevator downstairs

He cares, he cares
But if I dare
Not follow him
Or use my head

A lighting bolt
Will strike me dead
How easily do you think
I can be lead?

He cares so much
He watches me pee
He cares about
With whom I sleep

And lucky me
I ran into you
Lucky planet
You’re the only one who

Knows him so well
That’ I’ll burn in hell
Like a snotty little brat
On me you’ll tattle tale

I seriously don’t get it
Why are you in it
At all? In a beef
In which you aren’t involved?

If it is up to him
And not up to you
You’re a third party
Get out of our way

It’s none of your business
In any case, isn’t it what you say
That he’s the only one
Who can judge?

You’re stubborn
You won’t budge
You have to speak for him
Make logic out of sludge?

Of me you do begrudge?
For I think not like you
I’m not subject to your abuse
Your narcissism your insecurity

You think you are
Better than me
You told me once
Stop you dunce!

I am a mouse
He is a giant
You don’t like me
Because I am defiant

Seems silly to me
He’d need you to plead
For him, knowing how did deed
All the universe and history

You’ve told me once
Stop repeating yourself
I don’t bow to hollow threats
I don’t need your help.
(end)

I can accept it when someone is well intended in concern, but after you tell me the first time, shut up, seriously. I do not see how an alleged all powerful being couldn’t handle a mere mortal like me without your help. You told me once, “You’re going to burn in hell, I don’t want you to burn in hell”

OK OK OK, NOW SHUT THE F*CK UP.

You are a third party sticking your nose in a beef you are not involved in. I can tolerate the first time, but if I ask you to stop preaching to me, and you don’t stop, I am going to cease to be polite.

Anywho, after writing “8 Minutes Ago” earlier today, just thinking about different things in science blows my mind. That poem was about a photon. But other things boggle my brain thinking about.

On of the bigger examples for me are neutrinos. Those things are so small they can PASS THROUGH SOLID PLANETS! Point is, nothing, nothing is truly “solid”.

Red Giant stars too. Pluck our puny sun out of the center of our solar system, replace it with a “red giant” star, and the surface of that red giant would extend past the orbit of Saturn. F——– MEEEEEE!

Color is not in the object. It took me forever to accept this. Color only exists in light waves. That freaks me out, but it is true. What we perceive as color are the light waves that do not get absorbed by the object, but bounce off of the object into our eyes.

And how many of our sun’s size mass could fit into a super massive black hole? Try 1,000 MILLION of our sun’s mass!

8 Minutes Ago, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

This unfathomable caldron
Burning, brightly, intensely
Boils them, bubbling up

To the surface bursting
Flicking, scattering, releasing
Formula 1 has nothing on them

They win the race before it begins
8 minutes from there to here
The bright colors they carry

Of the rosebush and raspberry
The sunflower and daisy
The blue skies in midday

The bright white sandy beaches
And bright colors of the Macaw
But for it to get to

That launching pad
At all, 100,000 years ago
It formed in fusion

The jam packed
Subway car
In Tokyo or New York

Rush hour in plasma form
Then that spit ball
Shot from the slingshot

Or is it waving to us?
8 minutes ago
What if it were

Driving slow?
What if it
Had a speed limit

Of 55 miles per hour?
It would be absurd
And also slower

And a little over
192 years
326 days

13 hours
5 minutes
And 23 seconds

How about that?
Let that sink in
I am glad it is only

An 8 minute wait
But it took 100,000
Years to make.
(end)

This is the life cycle of f a photon.

It takes an average of a 100,000 years to go from the core of the sun to the surface, but only 8 minutes to travel close to 92 million miles.

Living Suicide, By Brian37 (AKA Brian James Rational Poet on FB/META and @brianrrs37 on Twitter)

The old man
Clocked in
On his 75th
Birthday

Toiled in
Construction
Toiled in manufacturing
His bones were creaking

The old woman
Clocked in on her
77th birthday
She had saved and saved

A denial here
A denial there
Insurance companies
Didn’t care

Both of them
Their cupboards bare
Bankrupt even with
Medicare

And that construction worker
And hotel maid
Two or three jobs
Every day

Under the smoke stacks
In poison rivers
Put food on the table
No heat in the winter

And all they do
Is get older and older
No dignity to sit down
No moment for slumber

Is this the “dream”
So fervently claimed?
This slow suicide
In such we take pride?

We cannot accept this
No mater what class
One may end up
No one should ever

Have to work till they drop
If you’ve put in your time
That should be enough
To retire in dignity
(end)